The Stage Glass or glass platen is the most commonly broken part on you Overhead Projector. I would like to share a few of the stories that I have had the pleasure of listening to when my customers call in looking to replace this part.

Replacing your Overhead Projector Stage Glass is probably one of the easiest repair jobs that any end user of an Overhead Projector can perform. What is a Stage Glass? It is the glass platen where you lay your transparencies when projectors. The Stage Glass or Glass platen as some may refer to it, is one of the most commonly replaced parts on an Overhead Projector today.

Now unfortunately it is easy to become confused on which Replacement Stage Glass your Overhead Projector may need as there is no standard size or shape to any one manufacturers Stage Glass, whether it be 3M, Dalite, Buhl, Eiki, Bell & Howell, Dukane or Elmo, Stage Glasses come in many different sizes and configurations.

Some Stage Glass may have beveled edges on the length of the glass on one side or two sides. Some Stage Glass may have cut corners, sometimes referred to as clipped corners on all four corners or two corners. Some Stage Glass are referred to as hardened glass. Hardened glass is a specially heat treated glass making it much more durable than the typical annealed glass used in most Overhead Projectors.

Some Stage Glass is held in with clips, while other Stage Glass is held in with double sided tape. So as you can see there are a wide range of variables when it comes to an Overhead Projector Stage Glass.

If you have a Stage Glass that is held in with double sided tape the old tape must be removed and replaced before the new glass is installed. It is not recommended to use the same double sided tape for your new Stage Glass.

In some cases, the manufacturer does not allow you to purchase the Stage Glass if it requires double sided tape to reinstall. In those instances you will be required to purchase a new top cover assembly with the Stage Glass already installed for you. In some cases once you have purchased the new top cover the Stage Glass will be held in with clips instead of the double sided tape, allowing any future glass replacements to simply require the purchase of just the Stage Glass.

So how do all these Stage Glass get broken? Well here are some of the most common stories we hear:

I used my Overhead Projector as: a step stool, a ladder, a desk top to staple documents, a work bench, or as a chair.

Some folks prefer to knock or drag them of carts, while others just get totally stressed out and throw them.

One of my favorite stories to date is one that I heard just recently. The customer was apparently very upset that they had just broken their Stage Glass. After I had finished asking for all of the pertinent information they felt the need to relieve some of their stress by explaining how the Stage Glass was broken. It seemed to be a good idea at the time for them to pick up a very large book as their weapon of choice against the fly that had been torturing them all day. The book was launched towards the fly, seemed to be right on target as it smashed through the glass. Unfortunately for them, the fly anticipated their strategy and evacuated just in time to get out of the way of the book only to live on another day. Lets hope another Overhead Projector Stage Glass doesnt see the same demise.